Who is your Difference Maker?

NEWS > COVER STORY

By Bill Gelman

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Oct. 13, 2011

Editor's Note: Just what the doctor ordered

Who is your Difference Maker?

It’s a question many ponder for hours, but the answer came to me in about two seconds: It’s the Cooper University Hospital trauma team.

My wife Meredith had just arrived via ambulance to the trauma unit emergency room. She could barely talk and was suffering serious internal bleeding from a lacerated liver. There were two questions going through my mind: Did my wife need surgery? Would she live?

I will never forget my wife asking the doctor ‘Will I live?’ Not an easy question to answer, but doctors are required to do so on a regular basis. He responded “yes” and said she just needed to rest. Little did I know at the time that it meant putting her on a ventilator and in a three-week medically-induced coma.

The doctor called my house after midnight to advise me of the change. At the time, my only thought was do whatever it takes to save her life, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw the next morning in the trauma intensive care unit. Meredith had tubes coming out of her in what seemed like every direction. She looked dead. I had trouble maintaining my composure, but I had to be strong. This started what became the longest three weeks of my life. My hour visits involved many one-sided conversations. I would whisper in her ear to keep fighting and I know she heard me. I spent many of those weeks calling the voice mail at home just so I could hear Meredith’s voice.

Every night, before going to sleep, I had a word with the man above. I had one simple request: Please have Meredith wake up by Thanksgiving. Sure enough, on Thanksgiving Eve, I went to Cooper for my daily visit, and to my surprise, I saw Meredith’s eyes open. She was still on the ventilator, but at least could communicate. Not being able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with her left a very empty feeling.

The fight for her life was far from over. The ride on this life-and-death roller coaster had many more twists and turns including MRSA, a collapsed lung and pneumonia to name a few. One afternoon I arrived at Cooper to watch “Las Vegas” with my wife. Before I could even get out a “hello,” she said in a very deep and raspy voice, “you’re late.” At that very moment, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Meredith was back for the long run. It took several more months for her to return to 100 percent, but I am happy to say, almost four years later, life couldn’t be better.

For those doctors and nurses — way too many to name — thank you for making a major difference and sending Meredith back to me.

— Editor Bill Gelman